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Building on your Spiritual Wellbeing

Stress Matters encourages eventprofs to focus on their spiritual wellbeing for 30 minutes every day.

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the team behind De-Stress Fest at the Royal Horticultural Halls and Stress Matters is asking you to commit to 30 minutes per day to improve your wellbeing.

Anyone that has done a mental health awareness course will have heard about their stress container. The idea is that we each have a container that our stressors get poured into every day and when it overflows, we start to experience symptoms of stress.

To stop it overflowing, we create a tap at the bottom where we can release the pressure and this tap is made up of our coping strategies, the things we do that make us feel good.

For us to feel truly well, we incorporate elements from the four pillars of wellbeing – mental, physical, emotional and spiritual.

Tip 1: Connections

As a very social industry, it is challenging not being able to see all our friends and family as freely as we would like but communicating has never been more important to maintain our connection to the outside world. Why not try a cooking or baking party with friends or a House Party Quiz or Zoom drinks? Talking is great therapy and makes us feel connected even when we can’t be physically.

Tip 2: Get planting

With bedding plants at the ready, there’s nothing cheerier and more satisfying than making your patch look pretty or sowing herbs in planters. You can get some inspiration from the virtual Chelsea Flower Show from 18th – 23rd May where some of the exhibitors will be creating their gardens for viewers to enjoy plus daily videos and interactive sessions. The Royal Horticultural Society launched ‘Grow at Home’ which provides advice for growing veg and has done research on the therapeutic qualities of gardens. The plant centres are now open, and you can order bedding plants and seeds from specialist suppliers on the nursery page or from the Society.

Tip 3: Breathe

If you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure, or panicky and anxious, take a moment, breathe in through your nose to the count of seven, then breathe out through your mouth to the count of 11. Do this until you feel calm, 3-4 times. Recognise anxiety for what it is, it is an emotion that gets us to pay attention to something, to focus and helps us get stuff done. Try not to fear it, as this can exacerbate it and lead to feeling out of control. Once you realise what the feeling is pay attention to it to understand what it is you are actually anxious about and once it gets heard it will stop shouting. For help to deal with anxiety check out Tim Box’s TED Talk on how to stop feeling anxious about anxiety.

Tip 4: Joy in the journey

We are all so grateful to the NHS and key workers for keeping us going and help us get better. Showing our support for all these incredible people every Thursday has united our nation and given thanks to the deserved. How can you extend that gratitude into your daily life? What things are you grateful for today? Rather than focussing on the negative aspects of the situation there are many positives in our lives, shift your focus to the good things and give thanks for three things each day.

Tip 5: Meditation

Eventprofs are generally very busy all the time, whether it’s running around from A to B. The same could be said of now for different reasons. There is no right or wrong way to meditate, it’s what feels right for you. Meditation calms the mind and gets you back to being you. Sandy Newbigging offers an easy way to achieve this.

Need an industry Buddy to talk to? The Buddies Matter scheme created by Stress Matters will match you up with a peer in the industry who you can talk to on a regular basis. All you need to do is fill out the form and you’ll be matched with a like-minded person who’s happy to listen.

If you need to talk to someone about your mental health, the events and hospitality industry support line created by Stress Matters is here to help. A qualified Mental Health First Aider is on hand from 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday on 07841 362 111.